Republicans privately have been having a hard time containing their glee about the dispute – mostly centered around City Council Member Jeff Berding’s nomination April 17 and the issue about whether or not he is a “good Democrat” – and wonder what this means for them in November.

What I think this all means? A good year to be a reporter, honestly. City Council races – even before I covered them with any regularity as I do now with The Post – were always interesting. This year proves to be no different – and maybe even better without the interference of a higher-clout mayors race to get in the way.

More attention will be focused on those who are actually running on the Council ticket, something that any one who ran last time will tell you was a constant struggle and a major frustration.

It’s shaping up to be a real dog fight this year, and frankly, for we journos and politcal watchers, it’s gonna be a good one. Let the games begin… (and a wee bit early, too, wouldn’t ya say?)

Author: Joe Wessels

Joe Wessels is a freelance journalist and photographer. Wessels covers local news events for Thomson Reuters news service and features for About.com's Cincinnati Guide site, plus is the executive director of hyperlocal news site, iRhine.com.
He wrote for The Cincinnati Post, covering Cincinnati City Hall and Hamilton County government and wrote a weekly political column, which continued weekly at Cincinnati CityBeat. Previously, he was a reporter for the Cincinnati Business Courier and writes or has written for several publications in Cincinnati and around the country including The Cincinnati Enquirer, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Cincinnati Magazine, Cincy Magazine and the Sacramento News & Review. He is a native of Colerain Township, one of Cincinnati's western suburbs, and now lives in Over-the-Rhine near downtown Cincinnati. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and a journalism writing certificate from the University of Cincinnati. He also graduated from Colerain High School, is an avid photographer, news junkie and was once a roller rink disc jockey, and sometimes rides a scooter around town.
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